Harry Potter and the Familiar Memory
by vampyre.vampyre
Summary: HHr. Harry meets someone who gives him a link to a past he doesn't know, and a new hope for the future. Starting after Harry's fifth year, this is the first of three stories to cover Harry's sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts and the year following.
1. Harry goes 'Home'

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters or other Harry Potter information, and have no intention of making any money from this. Whatever rights are owned are owned by their respective owners.

This is my first piece of HP Fan Fiction. This story is not finished, but is imagined as a three story Arc, starting after Harry's fifth year. It contains mature themes like Sex and Violence and should only be read by a mature audience.

**Harry goes 'Home'**

Harry sat alone in his compartment on the train, quietly looking at his hands. At first he'd tried to deny it. Sirius was alive; he was just hit with a stunner. It was just a bloody doorway!

That hadn't worked long. He'd put his feelings on hold and charged after Bellatrix with the intent to kill her, and had to be rescued by the professor. The same professor who later told him his fate; kill Voldemort or die in his stead.

He'd torn the professor's office apart, blamed him for what had happened, then sat alone and wallowed in guilt and despair. How was HE supposed to beat the most evil wizard alive when he'd witnessed Dumbledore only just fight him to a standstill.

Others might not have noticed, but Dumbledore wasn't fairing well. He was getting more and more tired, reacting rather than acting, and having to protect Harry while also fighting the greatest enemy of all seemed too much for what was probably the greatest wizard alive at one time, but no more. Harry's fear was justified, and while the prophecy said he would have to fight Voldemort and that only he could possibly defeat him, it didn't say that Harry would win.

Others came and went, but no one said anything to him. Ron and Hermione had gone to patrol the train, leaving him alone. Neville, Ginny, and Luna were somewhere else. Not even Draco or his cronies came to harass the young man, for which he could at least have one thing for which to be thankful. His friends hadn't avoided him after recovering from the battle so much as been skittish around him; afraid to say anything and either cause him to explode or shut down completely.

And now, as the train slowed coming toward the station, Harry realized that he'd have to go back to his 'relatives', perhaps for the entire summer. Chores and beatings and starvation, with a dash of humiliation to spice it up a bit, all washed down with a healthy dose of guilty depression. At the present, the only thing keeping Harry from seriously contemplating ending his own life was the knowledge that no one else could defeat Voldemort. It was the one thing Harry had left to live for. Yes, Harry would center his life around revenge. In his mind he cried out, making a bargain with whatever deity or deities existed, his life for revenge.

But, in the meantime, there were many tortuous hours to pass, wasting precious time he should be training, suffering under his Aunt and Uncle and their offspring at the wish of the well-meaning headmaster.

Harry said nothing as he climbed off the train, trunk and owl cage behind him. His friends followed quietly, saying nothing, though Hermione looked pensive, as if she wished to say something but had no idea what, and Ron looked like he would rather be anywhere than where he was. Harry quietly stepped through the portal from platform 9 and 3/4ths and looked to find his overweight uncle, Vernon, only to spot him speaking with several Order members. By the time Harry reached them, they'd left the now purple faced man alone, and Remus stopped Harry.

"Harry, I want you to send us a letter every few days, make sure to let us know if you're ok, and if you're being treated fairly. We've spoken with your uncle and made it clear we'll be watching. You are to have a guard at all times, and if you are going to leave your uncle's home for any reason, please let your guard know where you're going and how long you will be away, and with whom. Be very careful this summer; now that Voldemort isn't hiding, he's bound to be more aggressive. And, if you need to talk Harry, let me know. Above all, remember, it's not your fault what happened." Remus then wrapped Harry in a hug, something quite unusual for the normally reserved man, but Harry was stiff and solemn, saying nothing and not returning the embrace.

Ron left with his family, saying nothing, and Harry had the distinct feeling he wouldn't be welcome at the Burrow this summer. Looking over at Hermione, she was talking briefly with her parents, but as he moved to turn away, she turned toward him and ran to him, clutching him around his waist.

"Harry, do be careful. I've spoken with my parents, and perhaps if you're agreeable, you can spend some time with me at my home this summer? I'll speak with Professor Dumbledore about it, is that ok?"

Harry nodded, not saying anything, but returned her hug and smiled briefly, glad for the possibility of an escape. Perhaps she'd known the Weasleys would not be as welcoming this summer as in the past, or perhaps she'd just known he needed a friend and someone to turn to for warmth. She looked up at his face, and he nodded again, letting her turn and leave to go with her parents. "I'll be in touch, Harry!"

"Listen to me carefully, boy! You may have those freaks looking out for you, but you will behave yourself. You will do what we ask you, when we ask you, and you will keep quiet and out of the way. If you do that, we'll feed you and leave you to your own devices, so long as you keep that freakishness out. If you don't, trust me, there are ways I can hurt you without them knowing."

Harry merely nodded and trudged on, trunk and cage behind him. In a way, perhaps this punishment was part of his bargain for revenge, and he would gladly pay it.

The drive back was quiet and a bit lonely, but his uncle said nothing further and upon their arrival at #4, Harry quickly unloaded his trunk and Hedwig's cage from the car and took it up to Dudley's second bedroom. As soon as he was inside and the trunk on the floor, he heard the locks click in place behind him. Harry opened the window to let Hedwig in when she arrived, then laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and blaming himself for everything that had happened. It was going to be a long summer.

* * *

Harry's days consisted of getting up at his uncle's bellow, quickly using the loo and perhaps getting a shower if he was extra quick, then preparing breakfast for everyone else. After he was done with breakfast, his uncle would tell him his chores for the day, expecting them done by the time he returned from work (or by afternoon tea if it was a weekend). Generally speaking, the chores weren't any more than previous years; tending the garden, cleaning the garage, painting the walls, shutters, mowing the lawn, and the usual assortment of trials. Unlike previous years, there were no beatings, but Harry mindlessly went about his work, giving his surrogate guardians no trouble, and remarkably, they generally left him to his own devices, even feeding him once a day. Yes, there were sneers and the occasional badmouthing of his parentage, his 'kind', and what have you, but unlike previous years, Harry simply ignored it, not responding one way or the other. Eventually Vernon left him alone even about that, and Dudley, unable to get a rise out of him, but forbidden from 'leaving a mark their kind can find', went to find easier pickings elsewhere. Petunia said nothing at all to Harry, though he could hear her voice whenever she was gossiping, talking to Vernon, fawning over her "Duddikins', or talking on the telephone to Marge or someone else.

After chores and his single meal for the day, Harry would retire to his room to 'study', which mostly consisted of him brooding over his lot in life, the loss of his godfather, the estrangement from his best male friend, and his disastrous relationship with Cho Chang. It wasn't that he was bothered by not working things out with Cho; on the contrary he'd pretty much decided she was all flash and no bang, so to speak. He merely thought that it was his fault. He wasn't good enough to be a boyfriend, and didn't deserve her, or any other girl's, affections. This did bring his mind around to the strange feeling of warmth he had when Hermione had given him a hug, and he'd returned it. Unlike the others, she seemed to genuinely sympathize and be looking out for him, and Harry was a bit confused by the different reactions between her and the Weasleys.

Harry did write his letters, generally brief, though he found himself writing a bit more to Hermione than any of the others. Professor Lupin did care, but Harry wasn't comfortable talking with him about his feelings. Ron hadn't written once, nor Ginny, nor any Weasley (other than the twins briefly to tell him about how their progress opening a joke shop was going). He wasn't certain, but he thought perhaps his surrogate family had abandoned him over the injuries their youngest members had sustained in a vain attempt to rescue a man who wasn't in any danger until they'd mounted a rescue, against Hermione's advice. But Hermione cared, listened, and didn't judge. She did repeatedly tell him that he shouldn't blame himself, that they'd done all they could to try and confirm the vision, that Harry couldn't possibly have left his godfather to Voldemort's lack of mercy, or known that it was a trap, and that once sprung Harry had successfully kept them all alive against superior numbers with superior training, no small feat. The mirror Harry found in the bottom of his trunk spoke otherwise; why hadn't he remembered it! If only he could go back and change things, find a way to keep Sirius from flowing through the veil, grab him and pull him back.

Harry wrote to her about many things, both mundane and not so mundane, and as their letters passed back and forth, he could tell they were growing closer, and in a part of his heart, this pleased him. What had been hardened to stone with Sirius's death and Dumbledore's revelation of his destiny was beginning to crack and beat again, and Harry began to worry if he felt more than friendly or brotherly affection for Hermione, and if he was worthy of her affection, if she shared his feelings in any way. While it didn't serve to make him less introspective and quiet, it turned his focus from his feelings of anger and guilt over Sirius and the prophecy to something less dark and foreboding. When Hermione began to write about Dumbledore's obstinance to Harry visiting her, telling her that her home wasn't safe for Harry now that Voldemort had returned and been publically outted, Harry's mood turned darker.

For that matter, privet drive seemed a bit stranger. He knew there would be order guards around on occasion, perhaps all the time, but he could also tell there were others watching, though he didn't know who. He suspected Death Eaters, perhaps waiting for a chance to snatch him if he left the wards, though how they got his address was a mystery to him, until Hermione explained that they likely got it from the ministry, especially as his trial had been a matter of public record and his address had been recorded. Harry never caught sight of his Order guards, nor exactly where he was being watched from that seemed so much more sinister, but he never left the property, and consequently the blood wards.

The only other thing of note was a strange man who visited Petunia one day in early July. He had red hair, though not the shade of a Weasley, and a muscular build. Harry only caught a glimpse of him, but distinctly heard these words "don't care what you think, he's to stay here and that's final. If you don't' like it, talk to that freak who runs that freak school of his. I told you I never wanted to see you again when mother had you sent off to Military school across the pond, and I meant it. Now get out!"

As curious as Harry was as to the identity of the man, he didn't go downstairs nor ask his aunt. As his eyes followed the man leaving, the man turned and looked right at Harry through the window, and Harry saw something he thought he'd never see on anyone else; his eyes.

A week later, Harry had been sent to the market as one of his chores. It was the first time he would step off the property, and he was worried. He did not have that foreboding feeling of being watched by unfriendly eyes, however, so he agreed, took the money from Vernon (his aunt still would not speak to him directly), and promptly left.

As he walked to the nearest market, he felt a light touch on his shoulder. "Wotcher Harry, just where do you think you're going?" Harry instantly recognized the voice, and realizing Tonks was either disillusioned or underneath an invisibility cloak, quickly responded "The market. It's one of my chores today."

Tonks responded that she would follow discretely, and for him to make it as quick as possible and get back to the safety of #4. Harry did his shopping, paid, and quickly left with two bags of groceries, but as soon as he stepped out of the market, he felt unwelcome eyes upon him again and began to run. Taking a shortcut behind the market and through a small alley, he heard someone sprinting after him and ran faster. Up ahead, he saw Tonks fade out from her disillusionment spell and begin to raise her wand, but a red stunner flew out and struck her from the side. By the time Harry had reached her, three men in black cloaks had him surrounded, laughing.

"Well, looks like our prize finally decided to go out and spend some time with the rest of the world, then gets himself caught. Depending on a slip of a girl to protect you wasn't very smart. Our lord will be pleased."


	2. Catch' and Release

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or other Harry Potter information, and have no intention of making any money from this. Whatever rights are owned are owned by their respective owners.

This is my first piece of HP Fan Fiction. This story is not finished, but is imagined as a three story Arc, starting after Harry's fifth year. It contains mature themes like Sex and Violence and should only be read by a mature audience.

'**Catch' and Release**

Harry was frightened. He hadn't frozen up like he did when Hermione had been hurt and he thought she was dead; Tonks was just stunned and they obviously didn't recognize that she was an Auror, but he couldn't get to his wand in time, both hands occupied with groceries, even if he dropped the bags. Thinking fast, he quickly threw the bags at one of his attackers and ran in that man's direction, hoping the bags would be a big enough distraction.

Unfortunately, they weren't. The man, bigger than the other two, grabbed him and pulled him in, the now split grocery bags on the ground where he'd simply let them fall after hitting him. What Harry hadn't been prepared for was the gurgle from the man's throat. It wasn't a laugh, nor did it even resemble one, and rather than disapparating with Harry, the man let go and fell to the ground. Before Harry could turn and see what had happened to him, he heard a quick 'twift' sound, followed by another immediately, and the other two attackers fell to the ground, small red dots on their heads that Harry quickly realized were holes.

Harry quickly turned around, backing away, realizing all three men were dead. What he saw startled him into freezing up; again his own eyes stared back at him from the red haired man he'd seen his aunt yell at earlier.

"Hello Harry. I don't want to frighten you, and this isn't exactly the way I'd wanted us to meet again. Yes, we've met before, though you were only a few weeks old at the time."

Harry looked at the man and said nothing. The man wasn't moving toward him, but in his left hand he held a knife, and in his right what looked like a muggle firearm of some sort, with something extending out of the barrel quite a bit further than normal. The man quickly put his knife away, though it strangely hung upside-down on a sort of belt-vest that also held a holster for the firearm, which quickly was put to use as well.

"We'll wake your guard in a bit, after we've talked, if that's ok with you. My name is Henry Edmunds, Harry. Colonel Henry Edmunds, USMC, and I am your mother's half-brother."

That shocked Harry into speaking, though his reply wasn't very eloquent. "What???"

"I'm your uncle Harry, well, at least as much of an Uncle as your aunt Petunia is your aunt. Your mother and I share the same father; she and your aunt shared the same mother. You were never supposed to live with Petunia, Harry. I'd been told that if something happened to Lily, you'd go to that friend of your father's I met once, Sirus or something? If I can ask, why are you here? It took me a long time to find you."

"I don't know you, sir, yet you say you are my uncle. How is it that you were never mentioned by anyone?"

"Do you trust me enough to listen to me a bit, Harry? I realize I'm a stranger to you, but I'd like that to change. There's a lot of your mother in you, even if you look just like your father. Except your eyes, you have your Grandfather's eyes, which Lily and I shared as well." With this, the man pulled out his wallet and showed Harry and old photograph. It did not move, but in it was a picture of the Man, or a man who looked a lot like him, with a woman who looked a bit like Petunia, a boy who looked to be about 8, and two younger girls. One was like a smaller version of the mother, with different facial features, and the youngest had red hair like the father and brother, and facial features more like the mother.

"This is a picture of us before I was sent to America, just after your grandparents were married. You see, I am the son of your Grandfather and his first wife. She died a few years after I was born, and our father left the wizarding world for the muggle world. Your grandfather was from the United States; he'd been an Airman during the Second World War, or the war with Grindewald and his forces, and had left his magical education early to enlist. He met a woman from London while he was stationed there, and before the war had ended they had gotten married. I was born five years after the war, in 1950, and my mother died 3 years later from Dragon pox. Your grandfather decided to go back to the muggle world, where he met your grandmother a few years later. I think I was seven." The man looked wistfully away at the sky, as if trying to remember, and Harry found himself enthralled with the story, ignoring the bodies rapidly cooling nearby, and Tonks unconscious on the ground. Finally, a chance to maybe hear more about his family.

"Originally she'd been married to another man as well, Petunia's father. Her name was Violet, and he left her when she'd bore him a daughter instead of a son. Dad took up with her, took care of her, and together they raised us both, until they got married and Lily was born, not quite 9 months after they got married."

Harry would have been inclined to get angry about the man disparaging his mother's parentage, but he still couldn't quite get over all of the new information. "Lily and I were close. I was the oldest, and often had to take care of her, though as a 10 year old it was difficult to take care of a toddler. Still, I spent most of my time with her until I turned 14, and your grandmother had enough of me. You see, you grandmother always viewed me as a reminder of your grandfather's first wife, my mother, and how much my father longed for her, even after your grandparents were married. She blamed me for their problems, and as my father seemed to blame me for my mother's death as well, it didn't take much convincing to have me sent off to a military academy in the US, especially to get me away from Hogwarts."

Harry thought this strange, so he asked. "Why would he want to keep you away from Hogwarts? I've heard he was proud that my mother was a witch! And why is your name Edmunds and not Evans?" Col. Edmunds looked down at Harry and gave him a sad smile. "Well Harry, right to the point eh? Yes, your grandfather was proud of Lily, and so was your grandmother. To your grandmother, it was proof she could give birth to wizarding children, children worthy of her husband's heritage. And, by the time they'd discovered she was a witch and she'd gotten a Hogwarts letter, I was well out of the picture and your grandfather no longer hated the wizarding world and everything that reminded him of it like I had. As to why the name is different, well that has to do with me taking up my original last name. You see, your grandfather didn't want to be tracked down when he left the wizarding world, so he changed our name from Edmunds to Evans. When he shipped me off to America, I had it changed back. I was a bit angry then."

"Why were you so angry?" Harry was intrigued. A long-lost uncle, sent away, with a different name and a key to his past.

"Well Harry, I imagine you understand a bit better than most. I felt abandoned, which is exactly what I was. After spending a year without hearing from my father or step-mother, no cards, letters, presents or visits, never coming home from a holiday and realizing I wouldn't be coming home at all, I was pretty angry. So, I went to reconnect with my grandparents, and I had my name changed back to Edmunds. I spent my holidays with them, and they finished raising me, sent me to finish my education at a magical military academy rather than the muggle academy I was attending, and helped me through my first years in the USMC. That's the United States Magical Corp, Harry. They're the branch of the US military involving magic and its uses."

"Where were you then? Why do I have to live with aunt Petunia? Where were you when my parents needed you!?"

"Harry, I'm sorry. I got a short leave of absence when you were born; your mother had kept in touch with me after she left for Hogwarts using owls. I couldn't make their wedding but I did get to hold you. Things were dark then, but I'm afraid I had other obligations. Unfortunately Harry, you can't just walk out of the Corp when you want to, at least not when you're still an enlisted man. We were… fighting our own battle. By the time I'd heard what happened, it was too late to go to any memorial or funeral. I understood you were supposed to live with your godfather, and Mr. Dumbledore had told me that your arrangements were taken care of and that you were safe. I just assumed he'd done it according to your parents' wishes. Magical news doesn't travel much to the US; most of the Purebloods don't' like us very much. I never heard about your godfather going to prison until a few years ago, and by the time I was done with my mission and able to get some leave and start checking around, it was difficult to find you. I found Petunia's home shortly after September first last year, and you were away at Hogwarts. She told me she didn't want to see me again, so I hadn't been by."

Tonks began to groan, and rather than let her wake up with a headache and body pains, Colonel Edmunds took out a wand, pointed it at Tonks, and used the sleep spell on her. "Well Harry, I'll leave you to your friend, and take care of these for you. I'll be around if you want to talk, or if you need help. Whatever Petunia says, you can count on me Harry. I always loved your mother, and I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help them when they needed it, or to take you in when your godfather Sirus couldn't." He quickly performed another silent spell, causing the destroyed bags to reform and repack, their spilled contents, fortunately all dried good and other items which didn't destroy so easily.

"Sirius, his name was Sirius. And he's dead now, because of me."

"Really Harry? Well, knowing what I did of the man from your parents he likely died protecting you, but that's hardly your fault. I don't think he'd want you to think of him that way, or to blame yourself. You didn't kill him yourself, did you? I know he wasn't your parent's secret keeper."

"How did you know that? I thought it was a secret, and that no one else knew he wasn't."

"Harry, your parents went into hiding not long after you were born. They were already under the Fidelius charm when I paid you a visit. Peter had to tell me the address. I know it wasn't common knowledge, but surely Dumbledore told you. He was the one who had made those arrangements for them."

"HE KNEW! HE KNEW AND HE LEFT SIRIUS ROT IN PRSON ANYWAY!!!" Harry was now red in the face, angry and ready to lash out.

"Harry, I'm sorry but I have got to take care of these bodies before your friend fully comes to her senses, and it's best if you two get back to #4 soon. I'll be around so we can talk again. But one more thing; don't trust Dumbledore too much. Your parents did and I feel it cost them their lives. I think he means well, but he certainly doesn't have everyone's best interests at heart from the little I know about him and his dealings." With that, the man quickly cast spells on the bodies and the bloodstained gravel, banishing the corpses and cleaning the blood away, cast enervate on Tonks to wake her, and disapparated as Tonks finally opened her eyes, asking what was going on and where the men chasing Harry had gone. Harry said nothing, fuming about what he'd learned, and headed back to #4 privet drive; to the safety of Dumbledore's prison.

Harry wrote to Hermione, but kept his 'uncle' to himself. He didn't want to worry her, and he wasn't sure if his mail was safe. Tonks didn't know about the man who'd rescued them, and seemed to brush it off at Harry's explanation that they were observed by muggles and the people chasing him had run after stunning her. Unfortunately for Harry, Hermione was no closer to securing his release from Durskaban, but had begun to talk to him about possibly bringing him along on the family vacation later in the summer, in August.

Vernon had been having a particularly difficult time at Grunnings in late July. Sales were down, costs were up, and with nothing left to blame for it other than his own failures, and Vernon began to take it out on Harry. First, with increased chores, and hurtful snide remarks. Not long after, when a particularly important deal had failed because Grunnings costs were too high to compete with a lower-bid on a particularly big sale, Vernon had gone so far as to take it out on Harry physically. First slaps, then tossing him around a bit, finally full punches and kicks when he was done. Harry lay on his bed, bruises covering most of his stomach, his hand painfully aching from where Vernon had stomped on it, his head bleeding, and wondered what he should do. Dumbledore had been quite insistent with Hermione that Harry could go nowhere else; #12 was no longer used as Order headquarters because Harry couldn't go to the will reading to accept it from Sirius and its ownership was therefore in a state of flux, making it vulnerable, the Burrow was too open and well known (and probably unwelcoming anyway, given the dearth of letters of any sort), Hermione's home, while unknown to most, was completely unprotected, and Professor Lupin was elsewhere (likely on an Order mission, Harry supposed). This left Harry with the problem in that he couldn't leave, but he couldn't really stay.

When Harry didn't send any mail out for a few days, he thought that someone would be by to check on him, but no one came. It occurred to Harry that he'd been sending his 'I'm ok' notes to Professor Lupin, and that with Lupin out of the country, they likely sat in his home, wherever that was, and went unread. Hermione might want to get him out, but Harry didn't think anyone would answer her call either, and he couldn't exactly write.

After another beating on the evening of the 30th of July, Harry had decided he would not survive the summer if he did not leave soon. Whatever this place was, his prison, his punishment, it was not his home. Though Harry had never really thought of #4 Privet drive as home, his feelings had shifted enough that the blood wards, weak to begin with, began to fail. This did not go unnoticed.


	3. Visitors come 'knocking'

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or other Harry Potter information, and have no intention of making any money from this. Whatever rights are owned are owned by their respective owners.

This is my first piece of HP Fan Fiction. This story is not finished, but is imagined as a three story Arc, starting after Harry's fifth year. It contains mature themes like Sex and Violence and should only be read by a mature audience.

**Visitors come 'Knocking'**

Just after midnight on the 31st of July, someone began to pound on the door downstairs. Harry, locked in his bedroom, woke up with a splitting headache. He thought it was likely he had a contusion or concooshin or whatever the muggles called it when you got a serious conk on the head. The pounding on the door wasn't helping, and soon, his Uncle's screams for Harry to cut off that infernal racket were making it worse.

Vernon rose from his bed, stomping toward Harry's room to knock some sense into the damnable boy, only to notice that the noise wasn't coming from Dudley's second bedroom, but the front door. And, despite how nice it might feel to give the boy a good whack or five, it wouldn't stop the pounding. So, interested in returning to his slumbering dream of women who were not his vulture-like wife, Vernon stomped down the stairs to get to the door and check it.

Outside was an unfamiliar red headed man in what appeared to be some sort of uniform, though it didn't look British. As the man began to pound on the door again, Vernon unlocked the bolt, pulled the chain, released the knob lock and opened the door. "Now look here, sir, I don't know who you are but…"

"We've got to get Harry out of here, and out of here now." the man said as he barged through the door, through Vernon, and over to the stairs. "And, if you know what's good for you, you'll get out too."

"Oh, one of those freaks like him are you, well you listen well. I'll not have you coming round to disturb our sleep, particularly over that brat we take care of out of the goodness of our hearts. You just march yourself right back out that door and DO NOT COME BACK." Vernon's face had begun to redden as his anger increased, and at the top of the stairs stood Dudley, observing. Colonel Edmunds swiftly turned around, grabbed the portly man by his throat, lifted him from the ground and slammed him into the wall.

"You listen to me, Dursley. I don't know what's happened, but any mage coming by can see those wards crashing, and people you wouldn't want to meet in your darkest nightmares are sitting outside watching, waiting for a chance to get at Harry AND anyone around at the time, capiche?"

Vernon most certainly did not 'capiche', but he could sputter and struggle, four inches from the ground, until Petunia showed up at the top of the steps. "I told you I never wanted to see you again, you bastard. What are you doing here? GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"

"Nice to see you too, Pet. I know you're not our kind, but even you must feel it. The wards are failing, and when they do the same people who killed your mother and my father are going to come storming in here and kill all of you too. We've got to get you all out now, but I'm here for Harry. Now where is he?" Petunia moved to block the stairs and Henry Edmunds immediately knew to go that way. Dropping Vernon on his ass, he proceeded to push past the small woman, up the stairs and past the ugly fat son, and down the hallway, stopping at the door with numerous locks, all engaged. "I suppose this is his door? How kind of you, you worthless hag." Not bothering to unlock the locks, Henry pulled a wand out, though it wasn't possible to see where it came from. One instant his hand was empty, the next it was full, and with a quick flick, the door flashed and all the locks disengaged.

Pulling the door open, Henry strode in saying "Harry, we've got to go, it's not safe here any – good god what happened?" Henry rushed over to his nephew, looking at the black eye, swollen hand, and blood and bruises everywhere. Petunia looked on from the doorway "Well, the boy is quite clumsy." Henry turned, his face amazingly calm, and drew his sidearm. "Pet, it's only because of Lily that I don't splatter your brains all over that pretty wall behind you right now. Shut up with your lies. We don't have time for you to cover your ass for what you've done right now. We have maybe five minutes before those wards come down, and I'm not fighting for you."

Harry groaned, looked up as best he could, and saw the red haired man. "Sir, what's going on?" The man turned back to Harry quickly "Can you walk Harry? It's not safe here anymore, and I'm going to take you somewhere else. There are death eaters outside and the wards are failing." Harry quickly sobered up, and though his head ached, got out of bed and grabbed his wand. Hedwig was out delivering a letter to Hermione pleading for help that he'd struggle to write with his left hand. "Take only what you need or can't part without; we're not coming back." Harry pointed at his trunk, and Henry shrunk it and stuck it in one of his many pockets, then reached out for Harry and helped pull him up from tying his trainers.

"Is there a basement? Somewhere we can go and defend easily for a few minutes?

Just then Vernon finally arrived from where his corpulent rear had been left. "Now you listen to me, we're not going anywhere, and neither is he. That fool headmaster of his said he had to stay here with Petunia, and while we don't like it, here he will stay." Vernon's steam ran out just about the time he noticed the large sidearm in the left hand of the man who'd just invaded his home. Vernon hadn't done any time in any military service, but he'd seen enough television shows to know that freakishness or not, a gun would end his day pretty badly.

Henry ignored him and repeated his question to Harry, who promptly nodded and lead the way. Outside, the sky began to crackle with red lightening, and the invisible shield covering #4 began to crack. There in the main entrance stood Nymphadora Tonks. "Oi, just where do you think you're going, Red? Harry? Blimey, what happened to you?"

"Maybe if you did more than stand around outside looking pretty all day, you'd notice the wards failing, or Harry getting beaten, or the small army of death eaters just around the bend, waiting on this very thing?" Henry nudged Harry on, and Harry moved to show him the doorway, just past the cupboard, that lead to what was really a small crawlspace. "Well, this'll have to do." And with that, he waved his hand upward, snapped it down quickly, and the floor in the crawlspace dropped, turning what was a tight, small area filled with pipes and other household necessities into a 10 foot high ceiling room, but leaving the small crawlspace entrance the way it was. Henry winked at Harry and said "Can't have anything too noticeable. Go on." Henry pushed Harry toward the entrance, and then beckoned the others as well. When Tonks stood around looking awestruck, Henry moved over and nudged her to get her attention. "Look, you either come with us or get out of here. I don't care how good you are at what you do, if you're here when those shitheads get here, you are dead. You got me? So get in the hole with the others or disapparate. NOW!" Tonks snapped out of it, grimaced at the authoritative voice, but went into the crawlspace turned basement anyway. "I'm sposed to watch him. I'm not leaving him anywhere he ain't watched. Wotcher Harry, budge over will ya?"

As they all squeezed in, Vernon and Dudley having trouble with the entrance, Henry popped through like he was going through a hatch, then pulled the crawlspace entrance shut behind him. He quickly stepped into the middle of the room and pulled two small stones from inside his pockets, setting them on the floor approximately two and one half feet apart. He then stood back up, gestured with his hands again, pulling them apart rapidly, and the small rocks became large stones, the sort you'd see in an archway made of stone in a castle. "Harry, do you think you can help me? I need you to channel some magic into one of these stones while I do the same for the other. You don't need a wand or an incantation, just touch the stone and push with your feelings, ok?" Henry knelt, touched a stone, and began to concentrate. Mimicking him, Harry knelt at the other and, putting his hands in exactly the same position as his uncle, but mirroring them, began to concentrate on just feeling and pushing with his mind. He opened his eyes, looked right at Henry Edmunds, and watched as a blue line shot out of each stone into the air about seven feet, then began to arch toward each other until they connected. As soon as they did, the stones they started from began to reproduce, and a stone archway stood where the blue lines had been before in a matter of seconds.

Outside, they began to hear the sounds of blasts hitting the home, and what sounded like the doors in the front and back being blown inward. Vernon sucked in air to bellow but was quickly cut off by Tonks, who'd wrapped her hand around his mouth and shushed him. Petunia and Dudley were obviously frightened as they heard men, and women storming in and blasting everything in sight.

Henry reached up to his ear, placed a small device on it, and then pushed a small button on the side, causing it to light up with a flashing blue light. On his waste, a light on a slightly bigger box began to flash blue in time with the device on his ear. "Connect satcom 79." Henry then paused, and when the light on the box on his waist turned a solid blue and held, he spoke again. "X-ray nine two nine, this is USMC Colonel Edmunds. I need immediate gateway extraction. With me are three Civilians and one friendly. Over."

Just then the door to the crawlspace was pried open, and a man in a black cloak with a white mask yelled "Gottem!' A second later his mask shattered as a forty-five caliber shell tore through his forehead, the crack of the gun firing popping everyone's eardrums inside the small space. The now dead man flew back and smacked into the wall, but their position was no longer a secret. Stomping footsteps of running men began to rain from everywhere above them, and it would only be a few seconds until the death eaters above them began to cast deadly curses at them. Henry turned to the young woman who'd been guarding his nephew, if rather poorly, and yelled "Ward the entrance, I can't. My magic is too drained from the gateway and I don't' have enough shells to stop them all." Tonks looked at him nervously, then turned back to the entrance, and began to chant something in Latin while waving her wand in a complicated manner. Harry noted that it looked like she was tracing runes in the air with her wand, the tip of which was glowing and leaving a faint aftertrail in the shape of whatever rune she was making. As she'd finish, she'd push the rune out to the entrance with a quick flick of her wand at it, and the rune would disappear. Before the death eaters could get to the crawlspace entrance, the door to it shut again and flashed. "Best I could do, sealed it up and a weak distraction charm on it. They won't want to look at it, but eventually they'll find it or start blasting through the floor or walls around it."

"It'll have to do. Alright, listen up. When the connection is made, the gateway will glow blue, and then you'll be able to see wherever it is they made the connection to for us. Don't hesitate, go through. By now there are anti-apparition wards up to trap us here, and possibly anti-portkey. This is the only way out. I don't know where we're going; you don't get a choice with an emergency extraction. They just make the fastest connection they can. I don't care if you don't like the looks of the place, go through, or by god I'll kick your ass through, understand? Harry, you go first, followed by the butterball kid, then Pet, then fatass McJackhole, then you go through young lady, and I'll bring up the rear. "

The Dursley's began to sputter about their offensive names while Harry and Tonks shared a small chuckle, but Henry ignored them and pulled a small block of strange clay from a pack on his belt, and stuck what looked like a small digital clock in it, pushing in a red and blue wire. He set the clock at 0:15 and placed it on the side of the gateway, smashing it in.

Vernon looked at it curiously, but Dudley finally found the courage to speak. "What you doing putting explosives on there? And why's it set for 15 minutes?" Vernon began to get red in the face and prepared to yell, but Henry turned calmly and said "So they can't follow us. And it's not 15 minutes, it's 15 seconds. I'll set this once the gateway comes online and you start moving through. That's how long you've got to get your fat asses out of here. The death eaters will burn your place to the ground anyway, but this way they can't follow us. There's not enough here to endanger anyone else, but the ones in the house will get smoked." Before Vernon could scream at him, the gateway flashed blue and a metal room appeared through it. The windows on the other side showed a gorgeous blue sky in full noonday sun. Harry immediately walked through it, and rather than the feeling of portkey or flue travel, it felt just like walking into another room. Dudley immediately followed, with Petunia, and then Vernon shortly afterward. All of them stopped just inside the gate, only for Tonks to push her way in, yelling 'Make way McJackhole. What you doin' blockin' up the door?" Henry didn't wait, strode through, and then the gateway promptly flashed and the door back to the Dursley's was gone.

"Took you long enough, Fatass. I thought you were going to sputter until that bomb went off. I don't think we could have cut it any closer. " Henry turned as the hatchway on his left opened and the gateway stones on this side shrank down to the original two stones, just like the gateway on the other side. In strode a man in what looked like a naval uniform. "Colonel Edmunds? This is the USAS Rushmore. I am Captain Hanwack. Welcome to the Indian Ocean."

Harry smiled and simply stated "I love magic.", and then collapsed.


	4. Differences' of Opinion

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or other Harry Potter information, and have no intention of making any money from this. Whatever rights are owned are owned by their respective owners.

This is my first piece of HP Fan Fiction. This story is not finished, but is imagined as a three story Arc, starting after Harry's fifth year. It contains mature themes like Sex and Violence and should only be read by a mature audience.

**AN:** This is much longer than the previous chapters, and contains a sex scene that's not HHr. Don't worry, that's temporary; This is an HHr story. I just can't see it any other way.

'**Differences' of Opinion**

Harry woke up inside another metal room, filled with beds. There were supply cabinets, and what appeared to be hatchways off to other rooms, and a hallway outside one open hatch that people occasionally walked past. His head felt much better, his hand no longer ached, and if he had to be honest, he was wondering where Madam Pomfrey was hiding.

A young woman noticed him awake, and then came over to his bed. She wore a turquoise green blouse and matching slacks, of a sort, but he noticed a name on her left shoulder, along with what appeared to be other military insignia. Not being knowledgeable about these things, he didn't know her rank, but her last name appeared to be Johnson. She had dark blonde hair, streaked with lighter blonde strands which were pulled into a tight bun behind her head. She wore small glasses with oval frames, and had a small diamond ring on her left ring-finger, probably meaning she was married.

"Feeling better? Any blurry vision, headache, or dizziness? It's important that you answer me, but take your time and be certain." She helped Harry sit up, and he looked about the room and replied "No, I feel fine."

Johnson replied "Good, we were worried about brain swelling. There's a possibility of some short-term memory loss, but we don't think you'll suffer any brain damage. It appears to have just been a mild concussion. How are your hand and your ribs? Any pain or numbness?"

"They don't hurt anymore, and all the fingers work. My right hand is a bit tingly, though."

"Oh, that would be the nerve restorer. Your hand had severe fractures, several bones crushed, and mild nerve damage. We believe you should have 100% functionality, however. May I call you Harry? If you'd like, you can call me Serena."

"I'd like that Serena. Where am I?"

"Well, you're aboard the United States Airship Rushmore, in infirmary 1. Colonel Edmunds asked me to treat you for your injuries. I'm afraid I need to ask you some questions, Harry, and some of them may be uncomfortable. If you'd like, we can wait for the Colonel, or I can have another male ask you."

Harry looked at her for a few moments, unsure what she wanted to know, but didn't see any reason he couldn't answer them. "Well, I'll try. I'm not up for much of a test right now."

Serena Johnson smiled at him. "Well, these aren't going to be those sorts of questions. I need to ask you about your family, and the things they … did to you. Is that ok?"

"They're a right bunch of tossers, really. I don't know that I would call them family so much as my tormentors, but I suppose there's no harm in talking about it."

"Ok, Harry. Now, I can tell from your injuries that you didn't sustain them falling down, as your Aunt insists. Would you like to tell me what happened?"

Harry looked away, refusing to meet her eyes, and responded "I am a bit clumsy. I hurt myself all the time, trouble-magnet really."

"Harry, they're not here to hurt you, and I'm not going to think less of you if you tell me the truth. Please, what happened Harry?"

"Uncle Vernon's just been having a few bad weeks at Grunnings. He thinks it's my fault, more of my 'freakishness' as he calls it. One day he came home and slapped me. I'd finished the chores, just like he asked, but it's never good enough." Harry began to speak more rapidly. "Then when that wasn't enough, and things were still bad, he started throwing me around, and hitting me, and kicking me, and… and stuff."

"It's ok Harry, you didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault."

"WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP TELLING ME IT'S NOT MY FAULT?? HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S MY FAULT OR NOT?"

"OK Harry, I can see I've upset you. Perhaps we should talk about this later? Or maybe you can talk about it to Colonel Edmunds? I'm sorry Harry, calm down."

"NO, I'm sorry. Everything I do is wrong. I'm just so angry all the time, and it hurt so bad and I don't know what I did wrong and I never do, and no one comes to help me, they just keep sending me back and he just keeps hurting me. But I want to get this over with."

"Alright Harry. How long as your Uncle been abusing you?" Serena asked, taking notes.

"I can't remember when he wasn't, really. It was mostly just him yelling at me and complaining, especially after I got bigger. They'd throw me in my cupboard of course, and Dudley was always hitting me, and they'd not feed me sometimes or keep me locked in the cupboard or Dudley's second bedroom until I couldn't hold my water anymore sometimes, but this is the first time he's hit me in a really long time." Harry could see she was writing down more notes, including words like 'Emotional abuse' and 'chronic neglect'.

"Ok Harry, I have to ask one more thing and then we'll be done for now. You may have to talk with someone else about this, especially if charges are pressed, but I also think you may need to speak to a therapist. But I'll speak about that with your guardian ad litem, ok?'

"My what?" Harry asked. He wasn't familiar with the term. Serena responded "That would be your court-appointed temporary guardian, since it's obvious the Dursley's cannot be relied upon for your care while they're charged with abusing and neglecting you."

"Ok. So what else do you need to ask me?"

"Harry, did any of them ever touch you? Inappropriately? Did they ever touch you in a way that made you uncomfortable, ashamed, or make you do things to them you didn't want to do?"

Harry looked at her quizzically. "Like what? I mean, Uncle Vernon stomped on my hand, and that was pretty uncomfortable."

"No Harry, I mean like did your Uncle Vernon ever touch your penis, or try to get you to touch his, or your Aunt or your cousin?

Harry reared back, wide eyes and screamed "NO. NO ONE EVER DID ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!!" Serena reached forward to comfort him and calm him down. "Ok Harry, I had to ask. I'm glad nothing like that happened. If it did, it wouldn't be your fault. You've nothing to be ashamed of."

Harry looked away again and said nothing, thinking of his godfather. He didn't notice Serena noting 'Possible sexual abuse' based on his reaction.

* * *

"Harry, I'd like you to meet some people. They just gated in to join us." Harry's uncle pointed to a tall dark-skinned man. "This is Lieutenant Colonel Raphael Azara, my second in command." The man looked down at Harry, smiling brightly, and shook his hand vigorously, causing Harry to stumble a bit. "Good to meet you sir"

"Well, it's good to meet you Harry." Henry drew Harry over to some other men who were having a lively discussion about something called 'Punani'. Harry didn't understand what it was, but with a quick cough from one of the guys in the back, they all stopped and stood ramrod straight, with their shoulders back and their chests out, instantly yelling "SIR!" at once.

"At ease, gentlemen. This is my nephew, Harry. He'll be on board with us for a while, training and learning. I'd like you all to help him, that is if you can keep your mouths out of the gutter for 15 minutes." There was a chorus of groans which stopped sharply with a yell of "Button it up or I'll have your asses scrubbing the entire hull of this floating tub!" from Raphael.

"Good, glad to see you'll all be cooperative. Don't worry, I have the feeling he'll be just as eager to work with you. I'm sure you can all come to an understanding."

Harry was introduced to a few other men personally. One was Sergeant Jesus Gonzales, a shorter Hispanic man who seemed to be quite a bit older than the Lieutenant but was extremely fit. He evidently was in charge of the units training, and would be working with Harry personally. He seemed a bit hard, but trustworthy. Everyone referred to him as 'Sarge'. A third man was named John Swartzinski, and he apparently handled all of the communications and other complicated equipment. The people in the unit seemed to enjoy calling him 'Geek'. A quiet blonde haired man was next. Corporal Alan Weaver was quiet and keen eyed, and evidently went by 'Shock'. The final man was another Sergeant, but Harry missed the name. Evidently everyone just called him 'Mike', and he fixed and maintained the unit's equipment. The others were all dismissed and evidently went straight to eat, which was apparently called 'Mess'. Watching the soldiers eat, Harry understood why.

There seemed to be a tight camaraderie between the soldiers, a sort of brotherhood Harry knew would have been forged with long hours of shared labor and probably spilled blood. His uncle left him with Raphael, who insisted Harry join the others in calling him 'LT', in order to go speak with the captain about an upcoming mission of some sort. Once he'd left, the LT took him through the line to get food. Once they sat down, Harry noticed that the soldiers from his uncle's unit tended not to mix with the other soldiers, evidently from the ship. He noticed some in differing uniforms, which LT helped him understand indicated a different sort of service in the USMC. "Those in the white? They run the airships and other aircraft. Engineers, technicians, flight officers, pilots, that sort of thing. See how they have little stars on their collar and shoulders instead of stripes? That means they don't get down on the ground with us."

Harry noticed there were a lot more women among the airship crew than with the regular soldiers, and asked why. Sarge replied "They aren't built like men are, mostly. They can still kick your ass, hear me, but they don't do so well carrying as much weight over long distances on foot." Harry heard one of the other men, who was evidently called 'Burger', say "But when they kick your ass, it feels so good!" which caused a loud ruckus as laughter and catcalls were spat back and forth. Evidently the women were as tough as the men and gave as good as they got. Suddenly everyone got quiet, though Harry swore he heard 'Whoa' from somewhere, and Tonks sat down next to him.

"Budge over Harry, make us some room there." Harry quiet scooted over, and Tonks promptly sat down, close enough that her leg was practically draped over his. "Oi, I said make us some room!" The guys gave Harry a bit more space, and so Harry moved over a bit, letting Tonks put her leg down rather than on top of Harry's, but she didn't move away from him, and Harry felt distinctly uncomfortable, though not in a way which would make him want her to move.

"Who's the chica?" asked Sarge. "Oh, this is Tonks. She's an Auror, and she's here for my protection."

"Protection from what? What's an Aurora, and what kinda name is Tonks?"

"Oi, its Auror, not Aurora, and it means I'm one of the elite in the DMLE." Harry smiled at the queer looks that remained on the men's' faces, then replied "Tonks is her last name. "Her first name is" but he never got to finish because Tonks smacked him in the back of the head. "Shut it you, if ya know wha's good for ya!"

"Sorry Tonks." They all went back to eating a bit, with the men slowly breaking back into their usual banter, when someone asked "So what you protecting the kid from, anyway?"

Tonks looked up at the guy, smiled, and then replied "Oh, I'm jus' with 'im for the sex is all." Harry promptly yelled "TONKS!" and blushed, which got everyone laughing and seemed to break the ice. Unlike the other women in the room, who Harry was certain were attractive as well, Tonks had no need to hide it or wear a stiff uniform. She had on the same outfit she'd had one when he last saw her, which was fairly tight and showed off her athletic build, and while her hair was still pink, it was now more lengthy than spiky. Harry learned that due to a shortage of space on the ship, she'd be sharing quarters with him and his uncle.

* * *

Finishing their meal, Tonks and Harry excused themselves to go back to their quarters, with Sarge letting Harry know he'd be by to discuss Harry's training schedule, which would begin in the morning. Tonks had to ask directions a few times, but eventually then found the cabin. It was more like a small barracks, with four racks built into the walls, some desks and built in shelves, a few drawers, and thankfully an attached ,though small, bathroom.

Tonks looked over at Harry and said "Not a lot of space for alone time, eh Harry? Well, if you need some time to relieve some stress, let me know and I'll step out, and you do the same for me, ok?"

"Uh, I have no idea what you mean." Tonks walked in, turned back toward him, and replied "Sure you don't. Unless you're wanting some help with your little buddy, I think you best let me know, eh?"

Harry blushed but said nothing else. Tonks claimed the lower rack on the left side of the outer door and Harry noticed that the lower tack on the right side had already been taken, presumably by his uncle. Not wanting to be privy to any of Tonk's private nighttime activities that she'd been alluding to, he climbed up into the upper rack on the right and began to think about what had happened. Images of Sirius falling through the veil, Dumbledore's revelation and the consequent destruction of his office, Hermione's hug and Ron's rejection. He remembered his uncle's beatings, and his other uncle's rescues. Feeling the need to reach out to someone, Harry looked down and over toward where Tonks was, only to notice she'd stripped down to her knickers and bra and was presently lounging in her rack, ass up.

"Merlin Tonks, what are you doing?"

"Oi, wassa matta Harry, never seen a girl in her skivvies before?" Tonks was grinning back at him. "Well, looks like you might need some alone time already. That is, unless you want some help with that."

Harry looked down and noticed his erection bulging against his trousers. "Hey, eyes up here Tonks. I'm 15, what are you doing looking at my privates?" Tonks winked at him and replied "Distracting your morbid arse, Harry. I know what you're thinking about. I'd rather you were thinking about my bum than thinking about Sirius."

"I wasn't thinking about Sirius. Well, not just Sirius. I just have a lot going on in my life right now."

"Well, at least that makes one of us. Maybe you want to talk about it? I'm bored as hell Harry, and it'd do you good to talk about it if you can't get your mind off it."

"And just how am I supposed to get my mind off your arse, what with you showing it off in those lacy black things. Trying to give a bloke a heart attack?"

Tonks got up, and in an exaggerated hip-swaying swagger, stalked over to Harry. "Would you like to do more than look, Harry?" Unable to reply, Harry blushed and tried looking down to look out of her eyes, only to be greeted by a view at the top of her bra-clad breasts. "Now that's my kinda bloke, goes right to what he's after."

Harry rolled his eyes up then quickly shut his eyes, his blush making him so red it was amazing he still had an erection. Tonks burst out laughing, unable to contain it anymore. "Merlin Harry, you're so damn nervous. What would you do if a girl actually threw herself at you like this?"

Harry opened his eyes, relief countering some of his blush. "You mean you're not?"

Tonk's eyes briefly grazed over Harry's tent again, and then she replied "Not unless you're willing to show me that monster in your pocket. I'm bored Harry, I'm single, I'm surrounded by testosterone reeking men, and you and I are going to be trapped in a small metal room until they find a way to get me back and something is resolved about you. Right now they're trying to decide who has custody, your Uncle Henry or the Dursleys, what to do with the Dursleys, though I'd sooner throw 'em overboard, and what to do about me, seeing as they don't use owls and we don't use commsats or whatever it is they use. Some kinda muggle thing I suspect. I'm a healthy young female with a healthy sexual appetite. "

When Harry said nothing, Tonks looked him in the eyes, suddenly serious. "Would it be so bad Harry? I'm not looking for a relationship, and I don't want to get involved with any of these blokes, but I have needs and I know you have needs at your age."

"But Tonks, I'm only 15!"

"That's old enough in the wizarding world, Harry. Hell, I hear the muggles do it a lot earlier than that, though I don't think that's strictly legal there."

Harry mumbled something, so Tonks asked him again and again what he'd said until he finally spoke up and replied "I've never been with a woman, or a girl really. I've had one kiss with Cho, and she cried the whole time. I'm probably going to be a terrible lover. Why would you want to do anything with me?"

"'Cause you're here? 'Cause I trust you? 'Cause despite your malnourished short stature you're cute and sexy and evidently have a giant dick?"

"WHAT??"

"Merlin Harry, small metal room, don't scream in here, ok? I said you had a big dick, at least you do judging by your trouser tent. I bet if you'd been fed right you'd be a right-tall bloke. Listen, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but if you do, I don't mind showing you the ropes. My mum always told me it was best to learn from an older lover first, but good to pass that knowledge along, if you catch my drift. My first was when I was about your age, and though he wasn't as much older than you as I am, he was done with his seventh year. "

"I don't know. This all seems kinda sudden and I was hoping to save myself for…"

"For Marriage Harry?"

"Well, no, but at least for love. I like you Tonks, and you are rather sexy, but I don't love you and I don't think I will love you. It'd be like using you?"

Tonks suddenly changed into what looked like Hermione, causing Harry to startle and slam his head into the ceiling. "Would you prefer it if I looked like this? Is this what you want Harry? I was there at King's Cross. It's a wonder you two didn't jump each other then, even with her parents there."

"Please don't do that Tonks. Not her. I… I couldn't do that to her."

Tonks changed back to her normal appearance, pink spiked hair included, then climbed into the rack with Harry. "Would you rather talk about it?"

"Talk about what? What's there to say? I don't know how she feels about me. Hell, I don't even know what love is. I've never really been shown it. I thought I felt something for Cho but now I think it was just sexual attraction, a crush maybe. Once I got to know her I really didn't feel much for her and then Hermione was there and I'm on this date with Cho but Hermione wants me to meet her to do this interview and I just go. I mean, what does that mean? I'm with Cho, the girl I've been after for over a year, on a date, and without a second though I go off to meet Hermione. Hermione called me stupid, or something like that, and I imagine she's right in a way, but I think I realized that I really didn't want to be with Cho. But does that mean I want to be with Hermione? And if I do, what do I do about it? I think she may want to be with Ron, and he certainly seems to want to be with her when he's not fighting with her, which seems to be all the time, and now he won't even talk to me really and Hermione is hugging me and sending me letters and doing whatever she can to be with me when everyone else seems to want to pull away and I just have no idea what any of it means! I wish Sirius were here, I think I could talk about it with him and he could help me understand it. I just… I thought I'd live with Sirius after we cleared his name and have a normal life finally, and now he's gone and I feel like I don't know if I'm just replacing my need for Sirius with a need for Hermione. You know?"

"Wow, surprised you could say that all with one breath. Harry, I know I'm not Sirius, and I'm not even a bloke, but you can talk to me if you want, and I'll do my best to help you. I don't know if you love Hermione either, or if she loves Ron, or what, but I don't think that your need to be with Hermione is a replacement for your need to be with Sirius. You said yourself that you just popped off your date with this Cho person to go to Hermione, and this was before Sirius passed, ya? That seems to me to say there's something there that doesn't have to do with your mourning of Cousin Siri."

"I'm sorry, Tonks. I forgot he was your family. "

"Maybe we can mourn a bit together, eh? I've not really had much time to, what with guarding you and Voldie's return and all. Oh, would you look at that. Looks like I helped you with your little problem and I didn't even have to touch ya." Tonks began to laugh heartily as Harry blushed, and only then did he notice that Tonks was in his bed with him, practically naked, so close he could feel the heat from her bare skin at times, which of course caused the return of his previous problem.

"Ahh, the joys of youthful men. Ready for something else, perhaps Harry?" Tonks put her hand on his leg, near his knee but on his thigh, and slowly began to move upward. "My offer still stands. We don't have to do anything you don't want to, Harry, but I'm sure I could show you a thing or two that would drive Hermione wild once she and you finally get together."

"You really think she'd like me?"

"Harry, I know you're dense, but damn, would you wake up? Here you are, a beautiful, if I do say so myself, older woman, practically naked in bed with you, offering to do almost anything your heart desires, and you're still on about Hermione. Ya, I think she'd like you, but I can tell you right now you're a fool if you think you don't love her."

"I'm sorry Tonks; I just can't help thinking about her. What do I do?"

"Well, you tell her how you feel and let her tell you how she feels, but first what do you want to do about this?" Only then did Harry notice that Tonk's hand was now no longer near his knee, but rather closer to his privates, still encased in his slacks but straining harder than he'd ever felt before.

"I don't know. I don't know what I want to do about that. If you weren't here I know what I'd do, but you are and you're offering to show me things and I really want you to and yet I want to save these things for Her… for the girl I love and who loves me back. What do you think I should do?"

"Well Harry, the unselfish thing for me to do might be for me to get dressed and step outside for a walk and let you take care of your problem. But what I'm actually going to do is this." And then Tonks lifted her hand from his leg, took hold of his zipper, pulled it down, and reached though his fly into his slacks, into his boxers, and grabbed his erection. "So hard, Harry. You really are big for your age and size." She then pulled it out and began to stroke it slowly up and down, causing Harry to go from bug-eyed stare at her hand to his eyes rolling back into his head and tossing his head back onto the tiny pillow on the rack.

"Ohhhh Merlin that feels good."

"You ain't felt nothing yet." Tonks said as she picked up speed. Knowing it was going to get rough and uncomfortable for him soon, she shifted up the rack a bit, lowered her head over his penis, and began to drool onto his cock. Seeing him look up at her in surprise, bug-eyes again, she slowly lowered her head, sticking out her tongue, and began to lick him, starting with the tip and the slit, then the head, swirling around, then moving her hand to the base and holding it upright, down one side and up the other, finally with a long slow lick up the underside, focusing on the shaft just below the head on the bottom, causing Harry's muscle's to tighten up in response, before enveloping the head of his penis with her warm mouth.

Harry, never having felt anything like this before, began to thrust in instinct, causing Tonks to take her hands off his erection to hold his hips down while she slowly lowered and raised her head, sucking as she withdrew him from her mouth, then popping it back in. It didn't take long before Harry cried out, flooding her mouth with his spend. Like a sacred duty, Tonks carefully made sure to collect it all in her mouth, despite the taste, slurping even the last drop out, before making sure that Harry got a good view of it residing on her tongue before she swallowed it, causing him to shudder.

"Mmmmmm. First timers always do come quickly, but I bet you'll be ready for another round in no time. In the meantime, would you like to see me Harry?"

What followed was Harry's first real glimpse at the female body, then the female body in detail, then the female genitalia in detail, followed up by a not so brief lesson in how to touch, please, and taste a woman. With Tonks climax from what ended up being a rather clumsy but enthusiastic bout of cunnilingus, she pulled him up for their first kiss when the door to the cabin suddenly opened. Standing there was the stern face of Harry's uncle Henry, staring at the naked couple.

"If you're done fucking my nephew, could you both get dressed? We need to talk."

* * *

"Exactly how long has this been going on?"

"Um, I don't know what to tell you sir, it sort of just happened." Harry replied quietly, afraid of his uncle's wrath.

"Harry, I'm not angry. I'm a bit upset. You're young and easy to take advantage of and …"

"Oi, I didn't take advantage… well he is young but I didn't force him into anything. I was just …"

"I could see what you were doing, young lady. I assume you're old enough to at least take the appropriate precautions?"

Tonks looked him in the eye and said "We didn't do that. We weren't going to do that. I told him we'd only do what he wanted to do and that's all we did." Harry could be heard mumbling 'not all of it' but the two adults were glaring at each other pretty hard.

Henry turned toward his nephew. "Look, Harry. I don't know you well, I admit. You've only met me a few times and I'm quite a bit older than you both, and I hail from a country far away that's quite different. But I'm pretty sure that wasn't normal. Regardless, you've been pretty much on your own, from what I can tell of the Dursleys, most of your life, and you're legally able to give consent at 15 in the wizarding world, both in Britain and the US, so I'm not going to hound you about it. But I want to make sure you're thinking for yourself and not just with your dick, ok? It's easy to see a pretty woman and stop thinking, but you've got a lot of things to deal with right now and I'm not sure… whatever this is, is really in your best interest. "

"Respectfully sir, you're right. You don't know me that well and I'm not sure you're in a position to make decisions for me anyway."

Tonks turned toward Harry and said "Don't get snarky with the man, Harry. I think he means well for you, just like I do. Look, there's no relationship here, Mr. Edmunds."

"It's Colonel. Colonel Edmunds, but you can call me Henry. So if this isn't a relationship, what is it? Are you just fuck-buddies or something?"

Harry looked over at Tonks, to watch her respond "Ya, somethin' like that. I'm just showing Harry a few things about the opposite sex like someone did for me. When he's ready to go with someone his own age, he'll be ready. I'm not putting any claims on him; I'm being more of a … mentor. Wouldn't you agree, Harry?"

"This conversation makes me uncomfortable. I liked what we were doing. I don't want to stop what we were doing right now. Can we just leave it at that?"

Henry looked at Harry for a moment, locking eyes and saying nothing. "Ok. Just make sure you use a condom or do the contraception charm first, ok? You're too young to have a kid, even if she's not."

Harry looked relieved and looked to get up. "We're not done Harry. We're done talking about THIS, for now, but we have other things we need to discuss. Ms. Tonks, you and I have things we need to discuss as well." Harry sat back and waited, and Tonks attention came back to the man in front of her.

"First, Harry as I told you before, your grandfather was an American. He never renounced his citizenship, which made me and your mother American citizens as well as English citizens. Consequently, you also have dual citizenship. That leaves us in a bit of a problem. For one, there's your guardianship. Your parents explicitly did not want the Dursleys to be your guardians, and yet they were, presumably because of Dumbledore's interference."

"Oi, I'm sure he had good reasons." Tonks interrupted. "That may be, Ms. Tonks, but it was beyond his power, even as head of the Wizengamot, to overrule the wishes of the parents, and obviously it was not the right decision in the end, given Harry's condition when I found him."

Henry turned back to Harry. "Given your state when you arrived and your evaluation by the doctor, charges have been pressed on the Dursleys. There is some question as to jurisdiction for that, but given the custody issue, a guardian ad litem has been appointed for you. That's a person who's supposed to represent solely your interests to the court, Harry. Not mine, not theirs, not Dumbledore's, but only yours. They'll want to talk to you about that. The Dursleys charges will likely occur after the custody hearing, and that will likely take place back in the UK as that's where the abuse occurred Harry. You may be called on to testify. Are you ok with that?

"Yes sir, but why had no one done anything in the past? It's not like this is new."

"Well Harry, we're going to find out, but I suspect there was some… magical influence in keeping your abuse hidden. Can you think of no one who would do that?"

Harry mumbled 'Dumbledore' and began to look rather fierce. "Why? Why would he hide it?"

"Because neither the normals nor the mages in your country would have tolerated it, and he wanted you there. At least that's my theory. Something you'd like to add, Ms. Tonks?"

"Could you just call me Tonks? I'm sure it has to do with those wards Harry. He told me they kept you safe, blood wards or something, but that you had to stay there for them to work."

"Well obviously they didn't bloody work. So why?"

Henry calmed Harry with a look and told him "We'll ask him why, together, in September, ok? Let's move on. The custody case, unfortunately, isn't a sure thing. I'm a single man who's also career military, and I currently reside outside the country where you live and go to school. The Dursley's abuse case won't be on record yet so I can't use that directly, but I'm certain the G A L will take it under advisement. There's also the matter of where you want to live, Harry. This is as much, if not more, your decision than anyone else's. Please, think carefully about it."

"Now, we also need to talk about training. You need a good physical regime. You've obviously not been well fed, and your musculature and height show it, so I'm going to have Sarge work on that with you, including a high-protein diet. There's also the matter of your magical training. From what I understand, you get into a lot of trouble, eh? I think it would be best if we worked on training you in more offensive and defensive magic, as well as how to do things American style, as it were. I'd also like someone to take a look at your non-magical education. If Hogwarts is like it once was, you'll need to do that sort of study on your own."

"Why would I want to do that? I mean, I understand why it's a good idea to get along with the muggles, but what do I need to learn the same things they do?"

"Harry, you need to learn about what we call 'normals' not just so you can get along, but so you can learn from them. Take a look at this Airship. This would not exist without the ideas we've gotten from non-magic users. I'd also like you to learn about the other magical cultures than European. There's a wide world out there, Harry, and when you get through this … thing that's happening to you, you're going to need to learn to live in it. I'd rather hoped you wouldn't be stuck living in Britain, but that you could live wherever you desired. But that's going to take hard work from you, Harry. And I think I know just the person to help you. Would you mind if I contacted your friend Hermione, and asked if she'd like to have a nice vacation out on the Indian Ocean?" With this, Harry began to sputter and cough while Tonks grinned and Henry winked. "Guess I pegged that one. Ok. Maybe you'd like to call her? We can do that late tonight if you'd like, it's currently quite early there."

Harry brightened considerably, smiled, and then replied "Yeah, I'd like that. How long do you think we need to wait?"

"Well Harry, there's an 8 hour time difference or so. It's about 2 PM here, so her time it's about 6 AM. What say we wait a few more hours? Ms. Tonks, I need to talk to you about arrangements for your return and if you're willing to help me with Harry's wand training."

"Well sure I'm willing to help, but why would he need my help?" She replied. Henry pulled his wand out and told her "Other than you and I, Harry is the only other wand carrying wizard on board."

"Oh ya, you guys still follow that treaty?"

"Yes Tonks. I can just imagine how upset your government would be if they found out we were violating that treaty."

Harry looked between them and finally asked the question bothering him at the moment. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Well Harry, do you remember from your early normal education anything about the first war with the colonies?" Harry turned back to Henry and replied "Sort of, you mean what the American's call the revolutionary war?"

"Yes Harry. Well, most wizards in the colonies were pretty much like the other colonists. In this case, they were fleeing English wizarding society. Mostly what you'd call muggle-born and half-blood witches and wizards. They were pretty much loyalists, and stayed out of the war, until the atrocities by English wizards got to be too much and they finally sided with their non-magical brethren. Rather than have wizard fighting wizard, wand against wand, the English wizards made a settlement with their counterparts. The English wizards wanted to maintain power over their colonial counterparts, so in exchange for staying out of wars between the English and colonial normals, they colonial mages would have to give up wands. Most European wizards, the English included, thought that wandless magic was rare and fairly weak, unfocused, and without wands the colonial wizards would die out. The colonial wizards agreed in order to stop the bloodshed. American magic users follow the treaty to this day, there are no wand-manufacturers inside the United States, and there only wand-using mages inside the United States hold citizenship from another nation, like myself. If I give up my English citizenship, I lose the right to carry a wand."

"Wow. How do you guys do anything then? Without a wand, I mean."

"Well Harry, you're going to find out. Pretty much, American mages use a combination of wandless magic, something we call Technomancy, and Native American spirit magic, none of which requires a wand."

"Oi, you think we can save the history lesson for junior until after we're done talkin' about my arrangements?"

"Sure Ms. Tonks. You have a choice. We have made contact with your government, and right now they're OK with you staying with Harry, since they don't have much choice about it. I've gotten a message back from a Ms. Amelia Bones saying you can consider yourself on paid-leave until you can return to the UK."

"Thank Merlin. I don't know what I was going to do without my pay. Rent is due soon and I don't have a lot of savings."

"I understand. Now, as to your travel arrangements. Your government can secure you a series of portkey transfers from New Delhi's international portkey transit point. We'll have to transport you there, probably by shuttle, and it will take you about 28 days from today."

"Bloody hell, what? Why so long?"

"Well, we can get you to New Delhi tomorrow morning, at the soonest. From there, it's the UK's responsibility to arrange transport, and with all those international portkey transit points you'll hit, and the permissions they'll have to get for each one, travel visas… well it will take at least 28 days. Your alternative is to wait until we have a regularly scheduled gateway link to our embassy in London. About 15 days."

"Well, I think it's bloody obvious what my choice is, thank you."

"Don't be so sure, Ms. Tonks. If you go that way, you have to go in our custody, which means you'll be blind and deaf before you enter the gateway room until after you leave the embassy. Sorry, but it's a security issue to send you through."

"I've already seen the bloody thing, what difference does it make now?"

"That was an emergency, and it took me quite a bit not to get that bit of knowledge obliviated from you. You can leave tomorrow and take 28 days, or you can wait and go 15 days from now and get there immediately. Your choice, but if you go our way you go 'our way', understand?"

"Fine. Gives me more time with Harry anyway." She huffed out with annoyance, then turned away and refused to look at the Colonel. Both Harry and Henry smirked, though for different reasons. Harry was imagining spending more time with Tonks in his bed, and Henry was going to get the Auror's help training Harry over the next 14 days. Good thing he didn't tell her that there was a scheduled gateway to London from the airship in 2 hours.

"Well, I guess that's it. Let's go see the Sergeant about your diet and your physical training regimen, OK Harry? You're welcome to join us, Ms. Tonks." With that, Henry got up and left, Harry following close behind.

"Oi, wait up. I got nothing better to do anyway. Come on guys, where are you!"


End file.
